<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Growing up by Radian</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25271857">Growing up</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Radian/pseuds/Radian'>Radian</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Life Is Strange (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Camper Van, F/F, Future, Growing Up Together, Pain, Post-Save Chloe Price Ending, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Road Trips, Sequel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:08:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,627</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25271857</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Radian/pseuds/Radian</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years of driving from state to state, never having a fixed place to sleep. Always on the road. No boundaries, no responsibilities. Not quite how I envisioned my future to be.</p><p>After the events of Arcadia Bay, Max and Chloe search distance to their past, hoping to forget everything. Join Max and Chloe on their roadtrip through the United States, and how they're dealing with the past, and with the storm.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Chasm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"I never thought that I'd stand here one day.", I spoke, while looking down the gigantic chasm. The red stone filling every lower angle of my sight, while the clear, blue sky filled the upper one. I closed my eyes, and breathed in deeply. I felt the fresh, rather cold air rushing through my lungs. It has been five years, since Oregon. Five years of driving from state to state, never having a fixed place to sleep. Always on the road. No boundaries, no responsibilities.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not how I envisioned my future, when I was a kid. But I'm 23 now. There are still many years ahead of me. But forget that. I have learned to not live in the future. Or the past. I have to live in the here and now. And I really like the current here and now. I smiled slightly, when I felt a soft touch on my left shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Whatcha thinking about?", the familiar voice behind me asked. She was so different to the one who left the town back then. But yet she was still so herself. I enjoyed her touch on my shoulder for a further moment, before answering. "Nothing." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Really? The great Max Caulfield doesn't think about the perfect lighting for her next shot?", she commented amused. She knew me so well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The canyon doesn't go anywhere. Not like this moment, which can fade any second.", I replied calmly. I used to take a picture of every moment of my life, and I still do. But since everything slowed down so much, I've began to appreciate the single moments more than the pictures that come out of them. A picture is a memory. But what's a memory of something you never really got to appreciate? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This moment won't fade either.", the girl hugged me from behind and wagged me from left to right slightly. "We have all the time in the world, remember?", she took a short pause to give me a light kiss on the neck. "Even without your superpower."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know." I put my hands onto hers, who were on my belly, and closed my eyes. I love these moments. It's just her and me. And not a single thought is wasted on Oregon. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So, Super-Max, what're we going to do today?", she whispered peacefully. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wish this moment never ends.", I whispered back, while letting my head fall back onto her chest. She kissed me on my neck once more, before resting her head on my shoulder. Her faded out, now green hair always tickled my nose, when the wind blew it in my face, but I liked it somehow. It smelled nice, and I loved her being this close to me. I opened my eyes again, and looked to my right. There she was. With open eyes, looking far into the distance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I turned around in her arms, and looked into the girls ocean blue eyes. She smiled at me, and asked: "What do you see in them?" jokingly. My answer was clear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Paradise." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She squinted her eyes, with a smile on face. "You're so mushy, Miss Caulfield."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know you like that about me.", I reminded her with a giggle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No.", she said. "I love that about you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl leaned in for a passionate kiss, which I gladly accepted. We kissed for what felt like an eternity. And I wished we never had stopped. But eventually, like everything in life, it did. "I love you, Max Caulfield.", the green haired girl confessed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And I love you Chloe Price.", I replied. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>We looked each other in the eyes forever, before we heard a familiar sound. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You're a ghost in your own time;, a spirit of a forgotten mind! </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chloe's phone Rang. "Let it ring.", she says. Like always. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No Chloe. Maybe it's a commission?", I begged her to take that call. After we left Oregon, she worked as a freelancer and worked on commission here and there. It's not much, but it's enough to keep the van running and our stomachs full. Barely. I feel so useless having her bring in the money for us. But to be honest, I feel like nobody appreciates my photography as much as Chloe. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ugh, fine Super-Max. Let's hope it's a commission. We could really use the money right now.", she annoyedly walked  towards her phone, that lay on the side of the rusty Camper van. When we left Oregon, she didn't want her truck anymore. "I want nothing to remind me of this town. Nothing to remind me of who I lost in this God forsaken place." she said. And just a few days later, the truck was sold for $3,000 to buy a used camper van from a shady car shop. “Anything to forget Arcadia Bay.”, she said. Chloe even scribbled out her tattoo, just to never have to look at it again. Sometimes I believe Arcadia Bay takes her more with than me. It even went as far as to never set a foot in the state again. And the simple mentioning of Arcadia Bay will throw her into an unusually harsh rage. I know she needs help. We both do. But I think right now, it’s the best if I just stay with her and make her feel loved. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I looked over to her talking on the phone in front of the open Van door. She smiled. A good sign. “Yeah, sure I can do that.”, I heard her confirm. I don’t know what she’s talking about, but I believe it’s something good. “Okay, I’ll try to be there tomorrow.”, she hung up. I walked up to her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good news?”, I asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Eh, it’s whatever. Some pawn shop wants me to design a logo for them.”, she played it down like it was nothing. “That’s a whatever?! That’s awesome Chloe!”, I cheered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not really. The pawn shop is in Vegas. It’s more than a 7 hours drive, Max. I accepted too quickly. I’ll call him back, and decline.”, she pulled out her phone and was about to dial the number, before I stopped her. “No Chloe!” I grabbed her wrist. “You’ll take that commission. Maybe this is your breakthrough?”, I tried to convince her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My breakthrough? With a stupid logo for a stupid pawn shop in Vegas? Max, just because I stopped smoking weed, doesn’t mean you have to start.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I looked at Chloe with my puppy eyes. I knew she couldn’t resist that. It’s a dickmove, I know, but whatever it takes to make Chloe pursue an obvious opportunity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But what about this?”, she asked, while walking towards the edge of the Canyon with open arms. “We haven’t even been here for an hour.”, Chloe sighted with a hanging head. I snuck up on her and hugged her from behind, like she did a few moments ago with me. “I have an idea.”, I proposed. My girlfriend rose an eyebrow, but I was gone already. Back at the van. I climbed inside. The vehicle was split in two. The front was just the driver and passenger seat, while the entire back was rebuild to be our bed. three shelves above it housed our belongings. The few we have. Some people would call us bums. Well, technically we are. Both of us have no real job, our home is this free-candy van, and yes, sometimes we dig through trash when the money runs out. But through all of those hardships, we stayed together. I actually believe that those times bonded us even stronger. I looked through the shelf above our bed. An old rice cooker, a lamp and my camera. I smiled, as I grabbed it of the wood, and jumped outside again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I set the camera’s trigger to 10 seconds and rested it on the open side of the van, the lense directed towards Chloe, who was still standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon. After positioning the device, I ran towards the tall girl. “Smile for the camera!”, I shouted while running. She turned around surprised and I jumped against her, throwing in another kiss.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>SNAP</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Perfect timing. “Max Caulfield. What would I do without you?”, Chloe said with a bright smile. “That comes right at the photo wall.” Yes the photo wall. while the left wall of the van is for our few belongings, the right one is reserved for my photos and Chloe’s art. “I love you, Max.”, she confessed. “I love you more.”, I replied. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well then, wanna drive to Vegas? Maybe we can get a drive in wedding?”, she laughingly suggested. Well, jokes on her, I would love to marry her. No matter the circumstances. “Of course I do! Set the sails captain!”, I ordered laughing, while grabbing the picture I just took of us, and inspected it. It was perfect. Her holding me in her arms, me flying through the air, while we kissed so passionately, with the Grand Canyon in the background. My new favorite. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey there first mate, you ready to roll?”, Chloe screamed through the window of the driver seat while waving. The old motor was already running, and thick smoke rose from the exhaust pipes. “I’ll be right there, Captain Chloe”, I whispered to myself, while throwing the camera on the bed in the back, and closing the door with a slam. I ran around the front of the car, and got into the passenger seat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I looked through the windshield onto the dirt road before us, when I heard Chloe breathing in deeply. I instantly knew, that she was nervous, so I rested my hand on her hip. “It’s going to be okay.” I cheer her up. She looked over to me, and smiled slightly, before stepping on the gas. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Next stop: Las Vegas.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The City of Light</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Welcome back to Arizona Rockz, where the state knows how to rock. This next song is a modern Classic, </span>
  <em>
    <span>your bodies smell </span>
  </em>
  <span>by the number one band: PissHead!”, the radio man’s voice was way too calm for this type of music. Or this station. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I looked out of the window to my right, when the song started playing. “You gotta be fucking kidding me.”, Chloe whispered, probably unknowing that I heard it. Before the first line of the song was even done, she slammed the radio to a new station. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Burnin’ the midnight oil again. Sitting out here listening to the wind.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck no!”, she screamed out, and punched the radio again, much more angry than before. It shut off for good this time. The air was silent again. Just the old motor humming, and the wind blowing over the vehicle. I looked over to Chloe and, to my shock, her right eye had shed a tear. I don’t even know if she noticed. Slowly and calmly I moved my hand towards her face, catching the tear before reaching her chin. She punched my hand away.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What the fuck, Max?!”, she hissed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I… I’m so sorry, sweetie. I shouldn’t have… I’m sorry.”, there’s only one thing in the world that would make her so mad that quickly. The songs that played, had to do something with the past. She got really sensitive for any mention of our previous life. For her, the entire time between William’s death and us leaving Oregon never happened. Or at least, she wished it was like that. Any mentioning of William, Joyce and especially Rachel would throw her into an abyss, where she could stop talking to me for days at a time. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I heard a soft sobbing from my left side. “Chloe?”, I asked quietly. “It’s fine.”, she blew me off. It wasn’t. Of course it wasn’t. “Shit, I can’t concentrate right now. Can we take a break? Please?”, she asked me, with more and more tears running from her eyes. I accepted, of course, and just a few moments later, the van rolled up on the right curb, until it came to a complete stop. Chloe opened the door to here left, and got out, wiping away the tears in her face. She trotted across the dirty desert road, to the other side and lit up a smoke. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She held the arm with the cigarette close to her body, with the other arm as support. Her face was turned away from the van, staring into the distance. I heard her, sobbing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I got out of the car as well, and started to walk towards her. While I was doing so, she shut me off around half way. "I need some time alone, Max. Please." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to leave her alone with whatever she's going through right now. But on the other hand, I didn't want to be too clingy either. So. What should I do? I turned around and walked up to the van again, while Chloe was still crying on the other side of the road. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I opened the heavy door, and peeked inside. Maybe something in here will help? I searched through the few things that were inside, but aside from my camera, and some cooking helpers, nothing useful was found. But then it dawned me. I didn't need to show her a </span>
  <em>
    <span>thing</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I needed a memory. And a good one at that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I turned my head to the other wall of the van, and searched through the photos. So many good ones, so many nice memories. But what'd help her the most right now? I searched through everything, until I finally found one. The only memory, that she kept of our past. The only thing we can talk about, without her going nuts. The picture of us, dressed as pirates in her backyard. I carefully detached the picture and jumped outside again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Fuck this past. Fuck the world. And fuck those fucking songs." she swore in the distance. "And most of all-", she squished her still lit cigarette in her fist, ignoring the burning pain, and threw it in the desert </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"FUCK ARCADIA BAY!!!"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I stumbled back a few steps. Meanwhile she broke together crying. How did these songs hurt her so much? I quickly let the photo of us vanish in my pocket, and snuck over to my crying girlfriend. She sat on the ground, knees angled close to her face, her arms holding them in place. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was crying. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I slowly kneeled down behind her, and gave Chloe a soft hug. She shrug together on my contact, but let it happen, when she realized it was me. “I’m sorry I hissed at you, Max.”, she apologized. I snuggled my face into her neck, and gave her a soft kiss, to show  it was okay. She continued: “But I think I’m good again. I just…” a short break to catch her breath, “needed to blow off some steam.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Chloe, please. Talk to me.”, I begged.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t need to talk, Max. I’m fine.” She was lying. Like always. “Why do you still play hard, Chloe?”, I whispered her in the ear. “I don’t play hard, Max. You know how I think about the past.” I knew. But I still wish, I could help her forget. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I hugged Chloe for a further minute before she stopped crying. Why doesn’t she at least wanna talk about what happened? It’s hard for me too. After all, I could’ve stopped it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I let go of her carefully, and reached into my pocket. “Hey Chloe, the past isn’t all bad.”, I explained, while holding up the old photo of us. She turned her head a little to the right, to look at the polaroid and smiled, when she saw it. “You’re right, Super-Max. Like always.” She’s wrong. I’m rarely right. I mean, I’m still thinking about the choice I made that day. Was I right back then?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Fuck!", Chloe's face quickly filled with pain. She opened her right hand, and looked at the burn mark her cigarette left behind. Now that her rage was over, her normal feelings returned. Like pain. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hold on!", I told her, before jumping up, and running back to the van. I reached in the open door, and grabbed the old water bottle,that we had for months now. I opened it on my way back, and ordered Chloe to give me her hand. She did. I slowly let the cold water drip over her burn. She flinched and let off a scream in agony. "I'm sorry, Chloe!" I apologized. I didn't want to hurt her! "It's fine. We've been through worse, haven't we?", she pointed out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I smiled slightly, and dripped another swig of water onto the burn. She pressed her teeth together in pain, but tried not to show it. "It feels better already.", she said. I just smiled and lead her back to the van. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I climbed inside and searched through the shelves, until I finally found the old first-aid kit, that I promptly opened. I grabbed the bandages, and covered Chloe's burn with it carefully. "Is it okay like that? Does it hurt?" I asked carefully. She nodded her head. "It's just a small burn, not the end of the world." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I kissed her on the cheek. “It's still a long way, and the client has set a harsh deadline. I don't want you to stress yourself unnecessarily.", I explained to her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I would love to just say </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck the client</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but we need the money.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I can understand her. She only accepts commissions for the money. She loves to paint and design things, yes. But she hates it, when she’s forced to do so. “Don’t worry Chloe, it’ll be great!”, I tried to cheer her up. "I hope you're right." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She turned around and sat down in the open door. I did the same. She fixed her stare on to the ever expanding desert before us: “I like this place.”, she said. “It’s peaceful. And quiet.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe we’ll return one day. Who knows? You know we’re free.”, I reminded her. “I guess we are, huh?” Chloe smiled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey Max?" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hm?" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Thank you.", she rested her healthy hand on my hip, and looked me deep in my eyes, "For everything." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I leaned in and gave her a kiss quick kiss on the lips. Or at least, that was my plan. But in her current mood, there was no quick. She grabbed my back tightly, and pressed us together. I felt her hands running wildly over my back, while we kissed for an eternity. But sadly, it ended as quickly as it started. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I think we should head out again.", Chloe suggested. I nodded in silence, still a bit dazzled from the kiss. We stood up, and slammed the door shut, before walking around the van to the driver cabin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I opened the steel door, on the passenger side, and sat down on the old leather seat. Chloe sat behind the wheel again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I reached into my pocket and pulled out our old pirate photo again. I smiled at the younger me, before putting the polaroid on the dashboard, looking at us. I watched over to Chloe, who was smiling slightly, before stepping on the gas, and off we were again. And the radio stayed off this time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After four hours of driving through the desert, the sun was slowly setting. “We should be there soon.”, Chloe pointed out with a tired voice. She was driving this entire time, with no break whatsoever. Except for the one 4 hours back. And that was less of a break, and more of a breakdown. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Do you have an idea what the logo could look like?", I curiously asked. "Yep! The joint is called Pawn of Vegas. I know, stupid. But it gives me an idea. Maybe a dog pawn as the main layer, with the text on top?" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"That sounds awesome! I can't wait to see the final logo!", I motivated her. I really thought that. A pawn as background on a store called </span>
  <em>
    <span>Pawn of Vegas</span>
  </em>
  <span>? That's so cool. But sadly, I knew that she'd get paid much less of what it'll be actually worth. I frowned by the thought of that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Is everything alright Max?", Chloe asked caringly. I nodded slightly, "Yeah, I just…" I took a short break to find the right words, "I just don't like how little you get paid for your awesome work." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Eh, it’ll be like 50 bucks or so. Not too bad, if you ask me. Maybe I can squeeze out an extra 10, and invite you to a nice drive-through dinner afterwards?", I giggled by the thought of that. But 50 bucks? That's enough to keep us fed for a week. Two if we stretch it. Fuck. By what she's putting into her work, it'd be worth hundreds of dollars. But I feel like no one sees it, except for me. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Fuck. We're there.", she pointed out, while looking through the windshield with wide open eyes. The van came to a stop on the edge of a cliff, that was located on a mountainside. I looked at her, and then straight ahead. Before us, in the distance, lay the city of lights. Las Vegas. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe got out of the vehicle, and walked right to the edge. I followed shortly after. The city was still far away, but from this distance, it looked like an island in a vast ocean of desert. "How was the quote from Star Wars?", she changed her voice to a deep impression of Obi Wan Kenobi: "Las Vegas. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. Or something like that." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I laughed. "Okay, Obi Wan, let's get down there. And watch out to not run into any stormtroopers." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She laughed as well, when we were walking back to the van. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>